Imam-ul-Haq In Danger: Terrible Test Numbers Puts Extra Pressure Amid ‘Fake Injury’ Controversy

The Pakistan cricket team is never out of drama, and they have found another one after England routed them in the second Test by 194 runs at Lord’s, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was quick to react as they dropped seven players, with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul also bearing the brunt mid-tour. PCB replaced the axed players with five uncapped players along with experienced Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal ahead of the third and final test, starting September 9.

Amid the shake up, Pakistan opener Imam-Ul-Haq has received major scrutiny for his alleged 'injury' during the second Test. He didn’t take the field in both innings, leading to allegations from former chief selector Mohammad Wasim about faking his condition. In fact, Aaqib Javed, PCB's director of High Performance, promised to launch an inquiry and take action against him.

Imam's struggles aren't just limited to off-field things, but off late he has not impressed with his batting either. Barring the year 2022, Imam has never averaged above 40 in his entire test career. In 2022, he scored 837 runs in eight tests with an average of 55.80. The numbers kept falling significantly, just like the standards of Pakistan cricket.

Slow, Slower and Slowest…

Consistency never reflected in Imam’s 8-year-old Test career. In 31 Tests, he has scored 1865 runs, managing only three centuries and eleven half-centuries. No wonder he is the fourth-lowest run-scorer since his debut among batters who have played in top-4 batting positions and played at least 30 Tests.

The 30-year-old has also faced scrutiny over his strike rate in the past. 47.5 in Tests makes him one of the ten players with a strike rate of less than 50, despite playing 30 or more tests since Imam's debut. A total of 32 players have played more than 30 tests in this period.

*Players with a minimum of 30 tests since Imam's Debut (11 May 2018)